Our family Christmas stockings are more decorative than
functional. Only a couple stocking
stuffers actually ever fit.

My stocking was made by my mother from a pattern that she
drew herself. The fabric is a heavy
cotton, maybe a good quality of muslin, certainly not as heavy as canvas. She cut out a tree and star from felt and
sewed them on by hand. She attached some
plastic berries, pinecones encased in yarn, and a jingle bell for the toe. There is no loop for hanging, so the stocking
simply lay on the hearth. On Christmas
morning the stocking was placed among the Santa gifts to distinguish my gifts
from my sister’s gifts.

Momma’s sewing and crafting skills obviously improved
greatly over the years. When the
grandkids came along, she made them some fancy shmancy stockings. She smocked my girls’ names on the top part
of the stocking made from red and white polka dotted fabric. White eyelet lace and a jingle bell completed
the look.

When my sister and I became adults and were on our own, believe
it or not, Santa continued to bring a stocking.
However, our stocking was no longer a stocking.

It was a shopping bag.
A big one.

See the shopping bag stockings!

The bag could be filled with any variety of goodies from
hand lotion to earrings to slippers to kitchen gadgets to underwear to frying
pans. Many years we got underwear AND a
frying pan. Shopping bag gifts are not
necessarily small nor necessarily cheap.

After our parents passed away, my sister and I decided to
continue the Shopping Bag tradition because that was truly our most anticipated
gift to open on Christmas morning. What
would be in that bag? Some flavored
coffee? New gardening gloves? A piece of our china? Vintage pillow cases? A bell jar?
Maybe underwear and a frying pan.

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About Me

My name is Wendy. About twenty years ago, I helped my mother research the Jolletts. Since retiring from teaching, I have expanded my research which I share here. When I’m not looking for my own family, I index for FamilySearch and the Greene County Historical Society.
Welcome to Jollett Etc. Please leave a comment to let me know you were here. If you have more information or believe we are related, EMAIL ME at wendymath at cox dot net